WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ‘was never involved’ in the business dealings of other members of his family, his brother James Biden testified Wednesday when he appeared for a voluntary private interview on Capitol Hill as part of the House Republicans meeting. indictment investigation.
“I had a 50-year career in various companies. Joe Biden has never had any involvement or direct or indirect financial interest in these activities,” the president’s younger brother said in a 10-page opening statement to lawmakers obtained by The Associated Press. “None.”
The interview with Republican and Democratic staff as well as lawmakers lasted more than eight hours. During several breaks, Republicans came out and told reporters, without citing details, that Biden’s answers contradicted his opening statement and that he had made efforts to avoid directly answering investigators’ questions.
“He said a lot of things that contradict each other in this testimony,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said during an afternoon break after questioning. “So when you see the transcript, you will see.”
The James Biden interview was the latest in a series that Republican lawmakers have conducted recently as they seek to restore momentum to an impeachment process surrounding the Biden family’s overseas finances, which is at a standstill in recent months.
Criticism about the lack of evidence against the president has grown, even among Republicans. Many Republican lawmakers say they have yet to see evidence of the “high crimes and misdemeanors” required for impeachment, despite alleged efforts by Biden family members to leverage the family name to generate revenue for businesses domestically and abroad.
Beyond the infighting, a central assertion of the GOP investigation has also been undermined by federal prosecutors, who last week indicted FBI informant who claimed there was a multi-million dollar corruption scheme involving the president, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company.
The informant’s claims were part of the foundation of the Republican effort in Congress to investigate the president and his family, with investigators even mentioning the unsubstantiated claims in letters to potential witnesses.
Rep. Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, one of the lead impeachment investigators, told reporters Wednesday that the indictment of Alexander Smirnov does not “change the underlying facts.” of their investigation. He said the FBI has considered the informant a valuable source for years.
A lawyer for Hunter Biden, who is expected to give a deposition next week, said the accusations show the investigation is “based on dishonest and unbelievable allegations and witnesses.”
Both James and Hunter Biden were subpoenaed by the committee in November. James Biden’s lawyers said the subpoena was not justified because the committee had already reviewed private banking records and transactions between the two brothers. The committee found records of two loans made while Joe Biden was not in office or running for president.
“Through my appearance here today, the committees will have the information necessary to conclude that negative and destructive assumptions about me and my relationship with my brother Joe are false,” James Biden said in his statement. “There is no reason for this investigation to continue.”
The impeachment inquiry, which began in September under the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, has included recent depositions from several former Biden family associates. In almost every one of these interviews, witnesses said they saw no evidence that Joe Biden was directly involved in his son’s or brother’s business ventures.
Nonetheless, Republicans, led by Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, said they were pursuing an investigation that could result in impeachment charges against Biden, the ultimate punishment for what was committed. the Constitution described as “serious crimes and misdemeanors”.
There have been private discussions about bringing articles of impeachment against Biden to the House for a vote in February, but those conversations have stalled as support for that effort has waned among the majority. House Republicans instead shifted their focus in the new year to holding Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas accountable for his handling of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Last week, the very slim majority of the GOP barely managed to impeach Mayorkasreflecting political desperation as Republicans struggle to deliver on the priorities they campaigned for before November.
The focus is now expected to return to the impeachment of Joe Biden, as Republicans seek to distract from the various legal challenges plaguing former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for Republican presidential nominee.
House Democrats remained united against the months-long impeachment effort and called on Republicans to end what they call a “sham process.” Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said James Biden is the latest example of Republicans playing political games without any sign of hard evidence that could go as far as impeaching a president.
“It’s a moderate affair. And, again, I feel like everyone knows that the impeachment investigation is over,” Raskin told reporters when the interview broke for lunch. “I think President Comer has stated publicly that there does not appear to be support for impeachment.”
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Associated Press video journalist Dan Huff contributed to this report.
